Friends, my Youth did not end with the birth of my first child. It didn't end with the birth of my second child. My 30th birthday last summer did not signal the death toll, even.
What was the final blow?
Finding my first gray hair, Friday the 13th at 6:30pm. The offending hair was finally isolated and removed the next morning.
Here are the things that have ended, along with my youth. (Many of these have been long gone, but now I have to finally admit it.)
Being mistaken for a high schooler.
Being mistaken for a 7th grader.
Feeling like I look like a teenage single mom pushing my kids through Walmart.
Shopping at Maurices, Vanity, and American Eagle.
Looking through the "Juniors" racks at TJ Maxx.
Wearing plaid shorts (actually never have, but am convinced they are only made for twiggy teenagers)
Eating chocolate at 9:30pm. (this is more like a goal...)
This new shade of hair prompted a friend to give the following advice, "Start saving your money...those coloring get expensive." But I'm not sure that's the route I want to take. I mean, I'm not going to start dyeing for ONE HAIR. But 50? Hmmm.....
I've known ladies who dye their hair, and some of them end up aging about 20 years when their husbands stand next to them...because you KNOW they don't have a 20 year age difference, but that's what they look like...poor guys.
Mom had a very distinct gray accent over her forehead, just one chunk, which Dad always insisted was very chic. Gradually her hair became about 50% gray, but after her chemo (she is a breast cancer survivor) it grew in all gray. Mom never fought it, never dyed it or really freaked out at all...she's not the type to let her beauty routine get in the way of getting her hands dirty.
I'm hoping that I mature as gracefully. Thanks for your good genes, Mom.
Like a waterfall in slow motion, Part One
1 year ago
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3 comments:
I feel your pain! Before the kiddos, I would always get carded at the the grocery store. Last year, the cashier hesitated when I bought some wine, so I excitedly whipped out my ID to prove I was legal. Unfortunately, he told me to put my ID away because he was just stalling because HE wasn't old enough to sell alcohol.
Then there were the days when I was subbing in MN, I had a student come in to class once and tell me that I was going to get in trouble when the teacher saw me sitting in his chair. Then Aneesh and I went to a football game while I was teaching at MHS and were given student tickets at the booth!
Here's to being 30!
Steph
First, a couple of commendations for Lyz:
(1) Being able to go to a friends 30th birthday right after finding the hair and leading games without any hint of dispair.
(2) Not being in denial and being able to call it what it was: not "a surprisingly sun-bleached hair given the cool, cloudy spring we've had" or "a stray blond hair" or "who's hair is this?" but to call it "my grey hair".
An option you hadn't mentioned for the first few greys is to pull them out. With any luck they won't grow back or will grow back with a more natural color. My other experience is that grey is less noticible in short hair, but I don't know if you want to shave your head to short beard length.
-- Noel the Greybeard (like "Gandalf the Grey" from "Lord of the Rings"), from Boston (I suspect you already have Mass. in your state collection from Aaron the Brother or SIL Kate)
Liz, you should have stopped shopping at American Eagle a long time ago. I felt lame going in there in college. Now I feel like somebody's dad (and I don't even have a dog yet).
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